Republican U.S. Rep. August Pfluger of Texas, chair of the U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, is raising concerns over the growing influence of the Chinese Communist Party in South America—where many migrants begin their journey to the U.S. border.
“The CCP is pouring resources and trade into the area to exert their influence and undermine the United States,” said Pfluger.
For more than two years now, U.S. military officials and experts have warned that China’s influence in South America is suspect—with many concerned over CCP assistance in money laundering and providing the precursors to fentanyl to the drug cartels.
Additionally, Pfluger warned, “We know that Chinese nationals are traveling to South America as the first stop on their journey to illegally enter America.”
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 12,642 Chinese nationals have been encountered by U.S. law enforcement at the southwest border since the beginning of the federal fiscal year last October.
In Texas alone, law enforcement has encountered more than 7,000 Chinese nationals attempting to cross the Texas-Mexico border.
“I am more motivated than ever in calling on the Biden administration to reverse their open-border policies,” said Pfluger. “We cannot ignore the massive security crisis that awaits on our doorstep.”
Texas Scorecard has chronicled the threat of Chinese communist influence in Texas in a special investigative series as the CCP has meddled with both U.S. and Texas affairs, from local sheriff elections to land acquisition.
Meanwhile, border security advocates are calling on Texas to secure the state from foreign influence—particularly China’s land grabs.
Although measures were introduced during the regular legislative session earlier this year to ban hostile foreign nations from purchasing agricultural land in Texas, they died in the Texas House without a hearing.
Texans for Strong Borders Executive Director Cary Cheshire recently told Texas Scorecard that to truly stop the invasion, Gov. Greg Abbott should add “prohibiting Chinese nationals from buying up Texas land” to a special legislative session call.
